Am I not welcomed?

[Hedonist]

Hello dear forum members,

This is my first post on the forum, and I wanted to start with a rhetorical question so that it attracks people's attentions and more people welcome me Just kidding...Of course I know I am welcomed...In fact I don't have any doubts about that...

Just to make a quick introduction, my name is Enes, a 17-year old Turkish boy living in the Netherlands. I moved here 4 years ago due to my father's work. English is my second language, and that is why it is very poor. Actually, my English teacher told me that my English is never going to be like my mother tongue. She really disappointed me, so I decided to improve my English. And I think now it is the time to roll up sleeves. When I moved to the Netherlands 4 years go, my knowledge of English was only limited to a few words, and a good knowledge of the grammar. This is primarily due to the fact that, in Turkey, the education is in a way that, you memorise all the time, and not speak the language itself, hence you don't practice it. That is why, when I came here, I could not speak a word of English, but I could easily communicate with someone on internet via instant messaging softwares...

Anyway, I overcame the language barrier in six months, and now speak and write it fluently, though I sometimes make mistakes. Moreover, I also have to improve my vocabulary...

It is my last year in the high school...And I will sit the International Baccalaureate exams in a month's time...So wish me good luck!

By the way, I can ask as many questions on the forum as I want, right? Because, I like the English language, and also Literature, and feel like asking a bunch of questions...

My problem with English is that my accent is not very good, now I am striving to speak received pronunciation, but I don't know how. I would appreciate if you could show me how I can achieve that. I have never been to a country where English is spoken officialy...

Anyway, I think it has been a long post for the beginning...

Thanks,
Enes

[prezbucky]

Enes

Do you cheer for the Oranje (hope I spelled that right) or Turkey in world football?
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Hedonist]

Hi there,

Yes, you spelled correct, it is Oranje. Though I don't like soccer at all, but If I supported a country, of course it would be Turkey, not the Netherlands. I don't feel like being Dutch. Sorry.

[Torsten]

Hi Enes,

It's great you joined our forum and yes, you are very welcome here! Could you please do me a favour and ask your English teacher how she knows that your English will never be as good as your mother tongue? Who is she to make such a statement? Your English will be as good as you want it to be. It's your decision not your teacher's.

Yes, of course you are free to ask as many questions as you want and we will try to answer all of them. As for your accent, this is probably a psychological thing. Somebody told you that you should speak "RP" and now you are trying to do exactly that. Do you know how many people in the UK speak RP? Probably about 5%. I bet that 99.9% of all native speakers don't even know what "RP" is. So why bother with it? Try to develop a natural accent that is easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. Be yourself and focus on what you say rather than how you say it. You still have so much time to practise and improve your accent as long as you are aware of the process. It's a bit like playing a sports. Once you decide to practice it on a regular basis you are on the road to success.

By the way, what language do you speak at school, English or Dutch?

Regards,
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[edwin]

Hello Enes,

You're absolutely welcomed and wishing you great success with exams in a month's time.

edwin
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One life, Live it !

[leuleu]

Warmly welcome!
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'Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.' (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

[Hedonist]

Hello there,

Thank you very much. All of you are very nice people indeed.

Tortsten, my teacher says that it is not something personal but general, that is to say, a non-native speaker of a language can never speak it as good as a native speaker. She says that if I really work on it, it can be near-native, but it is never going to be like an Englishman. Do you agree with her idea?

I also realised that many British people don't even know what the RP is. That is funy.

About the school, it is totally in English, and Dutch students are not allowed to study in our school as it is designed for foreigners. It is an International school...

Cheers,
Enes

[Jan]

It may be a bit of true, in our lives period when we learn ( I mean really learn natural way )different sounds would last up to the age of 10/14 years.
later we are something like "shaped".The very crucial period lasts up to the age of 5 , 7 years.
It is of course possible to learn with time correct "native" pronunciation even if you have started when being 60 years old but it is more like recording on second hand very much damage tape. Some dirty remains in background would stay for ever.
Good thing is that some languages are very close in sounds to each other bad thing is that some are just like black and white.
(you never would match the sounds).
Nothing is impossible but sometimes it could cost too much of your work and simply You may miss your fun.

Jan

I may be of course wrong